JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – For 62 local businesses, the first-ever Johns Creek Chamber Expo Oct. 4 at the Johns Creek Center for the Arts and Design was the place to be. Chamber President John Bemont said the Expo fills a need in Johns Creek.

“Businesses want to showcase themselves to other businesses,” Bemont said. “They need a vehicle like the Expo that creates a place for people to come together and make contacts. How can you show what you can do if there is no one to show to? Here, we can showcase what Johns Creek has to offer.”

The Expo gives businesses a chance to market themselves and network, “to see and be seen,” Bemont said.

In addition to Expo booths for display, the chamber held its After Hours event for all the members under tents outside the Expo. Five local restaurants catered the affair.

“There’s a real buzz in Johns Creek right now. There is a lot of community pride, and we have a vibrant business community. The chamber’s role is to bring the business community together,” Bemont said.

Part of that buzz has been the way volunteers have stepped up to help get the Expo underway. Along with the chamber staff, they were “the difference maker” for the success of the first Expo, he said.

“It’s amazing how much they got done,” Bemont said. “They made it happen.”

Neil Stevens of Keyworth Bank and Craig McCoy, CEO of Emory Johns Creek, were leading lights in making the Expo happen, Bemont said.